today got a 12-3 vote out of that committee, which means his nomination to run the cia goes to the senate floor and he'll probably get confirmed to run the agency by the end of the week. and lest there be any doubt about the connection between john brennan's nomination and our government killing people with drones, in "the new york times" today, in a crazy story where three u.s. officials say that the last reported drone strikes in pakistan were not by us, the most interesting, unresolved question, of course, is, well, who did them if it wasn't us? but the other revelation is that some analysts in this field believe there have not been any u.s. drone strikes in pakistan or yemen since early january, specifically because john brennan's been busy, because he was nominated to run the cia in early january. so he's essentially been too busy since then to keep droning the heck out of yemen and pakistan. well, if drone strikes rise and fall with how busy john brennan is, if he gets confirmed as cia director the day after tomorrow, should we expect the drone pace to then pick back up?

maybe or maybe not. last week, former white house press secretary robert gibbs said something on this show that i don't think got enough attention. he said, he thinks that john brennan believes when it comes to drone strikes that they should be handled by the military and not by the super secretive cia. >> i think what john believes is, when we need to deal with any aspect of military activities, those military activities should be conducted by the pentagon. and i think that, again, is a change in the program, because, again, john understands where we are is just not sustainable. >> that's a big deal. if it is true that the new cia director doesn't think the cia should be killing people with drones, that the military should be doing it instead, that's a big deal. but you know what would be a bigger deal? is if the president agreed with that. should we see the president's nomination of john brennan to run the cia as a sign that the president agrees with that and that that change is going to happen? >> i believe so.

>> the nomination of john brennan should be seen as a sign that president obama may take drones out of the hands of the cia and put them under the control of the military. that would make drone strikes like normal war and not the secretive, unaccountable, denied truth that they are right now. if that is what this nomination means, and this nomination goes forward by the end of the week, our whole country is going to change in terms of how accountable our current war is to we, the people, to whom it is supposed to be accountable. exclamation point. now it's time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell." have a great night. a couple of hours ago, bill o'reilly really lost it on his show. and tonight, fair and balanced bill is one very angry republican. >> give me one damned program he said he'd cut. one! >> smart spending cuts, entitlement reform, tax reform. >> why are you yelling? >> because you're lying! >> the sequel to the sequester.

>> everybody has agreed that the sequester is idiotic. >> why can't you fix this? >> real leadership would get this fixed. get everybody in the room and you fix it. >> okay! >> is it just that easy? >> lindsey graham says that the president has called him -- >> the president had conversations with republicans and democrats. >> -- and wants to do a big budget deal. >> a new hope for a bigger bargain. >> there's a caucus of common sense out there. >> you are lying here! >> don't just sit is there and call me a liar. >> no! >> there is a caucus of common sense here. >> why are you yelling? >> okay! >> i'm not saying yes. i'm just not saying no. >> i think i know how to recycle those old bush 2000 yard signs. >> bush may actually bre runnin. >> he is very serious about the idea of running for president. >> we can't continue to make illegal immigration an easier path than legal immigration. >> he's backing down on moderation. >> a path to citizenship, which i would support. >> and trying to prove his conservative bona fides. >> i don't see how you do it.

we wrote this book last year. i have supported boett ettboth. >> left to right, left to right, he's starting to look like mitt romney. it's not a good place to be. >> i have supported both. >> what i said is not what i believe. >> i have supported both. [ romney laughing ] anger comes all to easily to bill o'reilly, and tonight, bill's ignorance took his anger to new television heights. >> he just says, we want to raise taxes, here, let's raise them again. >> right -- >> even though i just got one. there's nothing put forth. nothing. >> because he's not a problem solver, he is a fundamental transformer. you have to understand that. he is not a normal president. >> he was just getting warmed up there. that wasn't even batting practice. but before i show you how crazy

bill got tonight, to be fair and balanced about this whole thing, let's just keep this in mind. this is very important. bill o'reilly is a very, very busy man. when he's not rubbing elbows with hollywood liberals at oscar parties, the same hollywood liberals he claims to oppose in his so-called culture war, bill is busy watching his co-author write his huge best-selling books, or he is busy being the richest man in the short history of cable news. and so he doesn't have time to actually consume news himself. he's not the only guy too busy to consume news. ezra klein found for us last week a respected republican legislator who thought it would be a game changer for president obama to say he'd be open to chained cpi. another reporter jumped in, but it is on the table. they tell us three times a day that they want to do chained

cpi. who wants to do it, said the legislator? the president, replied the reporter. i'd love to see it, laughed the legislator. >> david, as you know, one of the proposals we made was something called chained cpi. >> so, if a republican congressman, who is being paid taxpayer dollars to know these things does not know these things, why would anyone expect bill o'reilly to know these things? bill o'reilly's not being paid taxpayer dollars to know these things. bill o'reilly is being paid $15 million fox news dollars to beat up liberals on tv. >> i disagree with what's being said here. he's offered $2.50 in tax cuts for every $1 in tax increases. >> that's not specific. no! >> he's offered cuts on medicare and cuts on entitlements. >> that's not specific.

he has to say, here are the programs that are going to go down, here's how we're going to reform medicare and social security, and the man refuses to do it. >> that's not true. >> yes, it is! >> he's said he's willing to cut these programs. >> hold it! because now i'm getting t'd off at you. >> he said he'd cut entitlements. >> not entitlements! one program! >> why are you yelling? >> because you are lying! >> i'm not lying! >> don't sit there and call me a liar. you don't like the president or what he's doing, but don't sit there and call me a liar. >> i am. this is why i'm calling you a liar. give me one program he would cut. >> he would cut medicare and medicaid. >> that's not a specific program. >> you asked me a program. those are programs. >> joining me now are msnbc's joy reid, managing editor for the grio, and former vice president's chief economist.

let's get this one thing clarified. give me a yes or no, jared, is medicare a program? >> yes. >> okay. joy reid, moving on here, i just want to get the table set here. >> what?! it's a program? >> you're not going to start yelling at me and calling me a liar, are you? >> we all know, the irish are very good at anger and no one better than bill o'reilly. but joy, this is exactly what ezra klein found last week in that very important interview with the unnamed congressman who had no idea that president obama had said, repeatedly, he was for a very substantial, significant change in medicare, in social security, and medicare, chained cpi, for example, on social security, all sorts of adjustments to the cost of medicare, and they just don't know this. i mean, o'reilly, it's very

clear, i don't think bill o'reilly knows who ezra klein is. i don't think he consumes any of the news that comes out of here, obviously. and just doesn't consume anything outside of that bubble. >> yeah, and i think what's interesting in watching it, first of all, it never gets less awkward watching bill o'reilly literally losing his mind and screaming at him. but republicans don't understand the terms of the debate. to your term, they don't really understand the budget. i think jared bernstein will back me up on this. if you look at the budget of the united states, something like 71% of it is split between defense, which is about 24, 25%, i think, as of this fiscal year, social security, pension programs, those kinds of things. and health care. meaning incorporating medicare, tricare, medicare, that kind of thing. so two-thirds of the budget is very difficult to cut, because there's such a political constituency for it, you saw the pain that republicans like lindsey graham went through with a slight cut in defense. if you get to the stuff they want to cut, that they want the

president to put his political capital on the line and say, i'll cut that, that's a very tiny sliver of the actual budget. all of the welfare program are like 10, 11% of the budget. so, really, if you want to name stuff you want to cut, they're very small and wouldn't save a lot of money, and also things that would make you look terrible. but they want the president to use his political capital to say, i'll cut home heating and meals on wheels. but they are the ones who want to do that. they should say it. >> and jared, the president in the state of the union address went through a litany of things he was prepared to cut and things that he was suggesting they might be able to reach compromises on, that he didn't get very specific about, but said, i'm willing to get into discussions about that. how is the president supposed to be able to get into discussions with the other side of the aisle, when people like this congressman and o'reilly have no idea, absolutely no idea what he has already proposed by way of real cuts? >> i'll speak to that in a

second. but i just want to be clear that it's not just proposed, it's actually enacted. >> yes. >> remember, you have to be pretty checked out not to know this. remember, during the campaign, mitt romney and paul ryan attacked president obama, relentlessly, for cutting $700 billion from the growth of the medicare in the affordable care act. by the way, it was kind of interesting, because they used to say, he refuses to tackle entitlements, and then they'd accuse him of cutting medicare. so there's all kinds of crazy out there. and interestingly, combs was right when he said saomething - you just played the tape, he said something about $2.50 of spending cuts to every $1 of tax increases is actually $2.30 to $1. $2.30 of spending cuts have been legislated, they're on the books, relative to $1 of tax increases. finally, how can you not know there's a sequester going on? and those are, of course, budget cuts. now, look, i think the reason you can get away with this is because if you actually look at

apologying data, people don't know this stuff. 6% of the public thinks the deficit has gone up over the last few years. it's actually been cut by half. so there's just a tremendous amount of misinformation out there. i appreciate the chance to clear it up, occasionally, on our airwaves, but, frankly, we need to do better. >> and joy, this goes to something that newt gingrich said in his interview with steve kornacki about how republicans have just been talking to each other and they've been in their own bubble of information, and they don't really -- they weren't really connecting to reality in the last campaign. and, you know, there's o'reilly, just in a perfect, perfect demonstration of exactly what we're talking about. but, you know, look, i do want to be fair. he's a very busy guy. he was out here in l.a. for the oscar parties. he had to decide. it takes time, you know, joy, those oscar parties. you've got to decide what you're going to wear, how you're going to get there,ed a and the idea you'd be sitting around, watching ezra klein on "the last

word" explain these things to you is very unlikely, i would think, in o'reilly's circumstance. >> no, he's a very busy man, you're absolutely right, but i wonder what he was doing in the summer of 2011 when the president first put out his plan to avert these ideas of automatic budget cuts through the sequester. the president and the white house has been sort of trying to pitch this plan and let people know what they wanted to do, and it's been out there, but you keep having republicans repeatedly say, they won't tell us what they want to do and they won't give us a plan. and in the same day, by the way, it's not just the president, you had john boehner insisting the senate won't act when, in fact, harry reid keeps trying to bring sequester replacement bills to the floor, and mitch mcconnell keeps filibustering them. even republican wons. so, you know, we have this situation where you can say whatever you want, i suppose, to your own base, and they can convince republicans that nothing's being done by democrats, but reality just keeps intruding and it makes them mad. >> and jared, lindsey graham is saying that the president is working hard on this, and making phone calls directly to senators

who they might be able to negotiate, including lindsey graham. let's listen to what senator graham had to say. >> he's calling people, this is how you solve hard problems. he's working the phones, talking about, you know, following up on that, and how can we get more people in the mix. so what i see from the president is incredibly encouraging. maybe because of sequestration and frustration with the public. the time is right to act and what i see from the president is probably the most encouraging engagement on a big issue i've seen since the early years of his presidency. >> how long was your conversation? >> he wants to do the big deal. i think to get our democratic friends to move on entitlements, we're going to have to move on revenue by flattening the tax code, eliminating deductions, and preserving some of that money for the debt. i just think we know what to do, we know how to end this, what the big deal should be made of. >> jared, does that sound like a

big opening to you, with lindsey graham, something of a breakthrough, when he says, we're going to have to move on revenue? >> it sounds like a small opening to me. lindsey graham has, on occasion, talked about these kinds of bipartisan compromises, and that's to his credit. i was testifying this morning in the senate, and jeff sessions, the ranking member of the senate budget committee, republican, said, absolutely not, on revenue. we were talking about how closing tax expenditures, tax loopholes, the kind of things that mitt romney ran on and ares were often talking about closing these inefficient, wasteful loopholes in the tax code. that was the point of this hearing this morning. and as far as jeff sessions was concerned, that's a tax hike, sounded like grover norquist, it wasn't going to happen. so unless you've got enough republicans in the house and the senate who sound like lindsey graham, who really did sound like there he was trying to find that kind of, that compromise. i think it's just a small opening. >> joy reid and jared bernstein,

i am very glad that neither one of you ticked me off, because i can go o'reilly -- >> so am i, man. >> me too. >> i can go o'reilly just as bad as he can. >> i don't believe that. i would have to see that. >> there are some people who could tell you about it. thank you very much for joining me tonight. >> thank you. coming up, looks like jeb bush wants to win the next presidential nomination romney style, which is very good news for democrats. and in the rewrite, we are still patiently awaiting the apologies from all the wall street experts who said the stock market would crash if president obama was re-elected. none of them, none of them found room in their hearts for an apology when the stock market today reached an all-time high. [ male announcer ] i've seen incredible things. otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air.

suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪

okay. so chris christie is polling at an all-time high in new jersey. his re-election as governor seems virtually assured. newark mayor cory booker, who

had been thinking of running for governor, has chosen the safer course of running for senate. and so who, who does that leave to run against chris christie in new jersey? in a "last word" exclusive, the very brave woman who has stepped forward to be the democratic candidate for governor in new jersey will join me. that's coming up. ♪ ♪ no two people have the same financial goals. pnc works with you to understand yours and help plan for your retirement.

visit a branch or call now for your personal retirement review. then i read an article about a study that looked at the long term health benefits of taking multivitamins. they used centrum silver for the study... so i guess my wife was right. [ male announcer ] centrum. always your most complete. like other precious things that start off white, it yellows over time. when it comes to your smile, if you're not whitening, you're yellowing. crest whitestrips whiten as well as $500 professional treatments. guaranteed. crest 3d white whitestrips. so you're jeb bush. and of course, it's time for you to run for president. and you have a few recent models to look at like, for example, the last two republicans to actually win presidential elections, who happen to be your

father and your brother. and instead, the model you choose is the romney flip-flopping model. jeb bush is now on the virtual campaign trail, which at this stage, always begins with a book tour that gives the candidate an excuse to travel around the country, talking politics on tv. usually these books are general and very vague. jeb bush foolishly chose to go in a very different direction. his book is targeted and specific, entitled, "immigration wars: forging an american solution." the trouble for jeb bush, who like all politicians, didn't actually write the book himself, is that he and the writing team that produced the book had to forge an american solution to immigration before the election in which the republican position on immigration got wiped out at the polls. 71% of the latino vote voted against the republican candidate for president. and starting the day after the

election in a political phenomenon that has apparently escaped jeb bush's attention, the republican party started flipping fast on immigration. sean hannity and many others were suddenly open to creating a path to citizenship for undocumented residents. and then, then jeb bush's book comes out this week, saying, it is absolutely vital to the integrity of our immigration system that actions have consequences, in this case, that those who violated the laws can remain, but cannot obtain the cherished fruits of citizenship. here is jeb bush, on the first stop on his book tour yesterday, on the "today" show. >> when it comes to a path to citizenship, all right, you fall short of that. you want legal residency, but -- and you want people to admit they've committ ted a crime by

coming here illegally to pay back taxes and pay some fines, but not offer them a path to citizenship. if they do all the things you've asked of them, why not grant that right to become an american? >> because this proposal is a proposal that looks forward. and if we want to create an immigration policy that's going to work, we can't continue to make illegal immigration an easier path than legal immigration. >> that was a pretty big flip-flop from what jeb bush had to say just nine months ago. >> either a path to citizenship, which i would support, and that does put me, probably out of the mainstream of most conservatives, or a path to legalization. a path to residency, of some kind. >> jeb bush quickly got tangled up by the media in yesterday's flip-flop, and began to flip back toward his original position. this morning, on this network, on "morning joe," he was saying this. >> so, going forward, we broke

this last year, going forward, if there is a difference, if you can craft that in law, where you can have a path to citizenship, where there isn't an incentive for people to come illegally, i'm for it. >> so, jeb bush was for it before he was against it, and now he is kind of, sort of, for it again. >> so, i have is supported both, both a pass to legalization or a path to citizenship. >> and tonight, the one person in america for whom all of that makes perfect sense is, of course, mitt romney. joining me now, msnbc political analyst, steve schmidt, who served as senior adviser to john mccain's 2008 presidential campaign, and nia-malika henderson of "the washington post." steve, this is a rough way to start the book tour, with the flip-flopping. you'd think that jeb bush was up to speed on this issue. >> look, even the best quarterbacks throw an occasional interception, no doubt.

>> on the first play of the game. >> even the first play of the game. look, jeb bush has been a longtime proponent of immigration reform. he's been a voice of reason on this issue in the republican party. he's an important voice in the republican party on this issue. and i think he took a momentary detour, but is back to the right place, which is that once people who are here illegally become regularized, get their green cards, if they choose, after they wait the period of time that you need to wait, the number of years once you have a green card and they go through the citizenship process, that they have an ability to become citizens like anyone else who has a green card. >> nia, he explained the flip-flop, basically, by saying, well, you know, we wrote this last year. and as we all know in book publishing, the book gets locked in print a few months before it comes out. so there he was, stuck with, you know, october's republican thinking on immigration. >> that's right. and it was a vastly different

position that he outlined there. it wasn't just a momentary detour, it's a book-long detour and very different from the path that his brother staked out and the position that he staked out as well. this is surprising. i really don't get it. maybe he's running for president. i don't think there's a huge outcry in the republican party, certainly, among the grassroots for him to get in a race. he obviously sat on the sidelines in 2008, and 2012. and the party has moved beyond where he was. he once, i think, was the face of the moderate republican party. he speaks spanish and had great relations, i think, with latinos in florida and certainly was a good governor down there. but he just looks like an outsider now. he's been out of office for six years. i don't know how he's going to stay relevant over these next four years and mount a credible campaign for the white house, when he is very much an outsider in terms of this conversation that's going on. rubio, of course, was his protege, but it now looks like the student has surpassed the

teacher. >> harry reid had something, i think, that's politically fascinating to say about this. let's listen to this. >> let's wait for a few minutes and see how jeb bush changes his mind, again. his opinion on immigration is not evolving, it's devolving. he keeps going backwards. i think he's, frankly, made a fool of himself the last 24 hours. frankly, on this issue, i don't think jeb bush is a florida leader. i think marco rubio is. bush has been elected to nothing, lately. rubio is the leader on immigration. and he wants to have an immigration bill. i appreciate that. >> steve, that is a wonderful senate moment. there is senator reid, saying, ignore that other guy from florida, who, by the way, is marco rubio's big problem in running for president, if jeb bush runs. ignore that other guy from florida. pay attention my fellow senator, marco rubio. it also gives reid the opportunity to help coax along,

actually getting something done on the issue in the senate. >> yeah. he gave him some tough medicine. and look, i think that when you examine this issue, that for the republicans, unless we are able to secure the border, unless we're able to deal with that, finally, once and for all, it's not possible to get a bill done, certainly on the democratic side. if you don't have a pathway to citizenship, it's not possible to get a compromise done. so, it's just a nonstarter, as a policy proposal and so, i think that when you look at sequestration and all the dysfunction that's going on in government right now, this is one issue where there's a legitimate chance to get a deal done. the president's engaged on it, republicans are engaged on it, senate democrats are engaged on it, and there's a great chance that we can finally make really big progress in getting this important issue dealt with in this country. >> nia, senator lindsey graham said that what jeb bush did, quote, undercuts what we're trying to do.

and i find something fascinating about the -- and it happens in both parties, where there's this great candidate who has not chosen to run and then suddenly makes the move. and turns out to just stumble right out of the gate. we saw it with rick perry, who was supposed to come in and take over that presidential campaign. and here is jeb bush's first steps on the pre-presidential campaign, the book tour thing, and he stumbles on day one, on an issue that he was supposed to be an expert on. >> that's right. i mean, he is rusty. i think that much is clear. and i think one of the problems that he would have going into 2016 is he wouldn't have a platform. it wouldn't be like chris christie, where he's governing a state. it wouldn't be like marco rubio, where he's going to be involved in all of the tough issues of the day, be it immigration, sequestration, the budget, gun control. he's got to figure out to make himself relevant going forward. and i think we've already seen, it's going to be tough for him to do that. and i've talked to republicans. and some republicans think that

he has sort of, you know, let the moment go by and that he doesn't have a very long shelf life in terms of his viability in running for the nomination in 2016. people compare him to clinton. but i don't want see anyone in the republican party who's really clambering for the return of a bush, quite frankly. and so i think he's going to have a tough time, as we've already seen that he's had one. >> steve schmitt and nia-malika henderson, thank both for joining me tonight. >> thank you. coming up, you will meet the one brave democrat who is ready to run against chris christie in new jersey. the woman who would be governor is coming up. when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. our financial advice is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. life brings obstacles. usaa brings retirement advice. try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic

that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ stay in the groove with align. ♪ need help keeping your digestive balance in sync? try align. it's a probiotic that fortifies your digestive system with healthy bacteria 24/7. because your insides set the tone. stay in the groove with align. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+.

my name is sunshine and i have three beautiful girls. i like taking advil® for a headache. it nips it in the bud. and i can be that mommy that i want to be. ♪ [ male announcer ] take action. take advil®. for current and former military members and their families. get advice from the people who share your values. for our free usaa retirement guide, call 877-242-usaa.

so a lot of rich republicans lost a lot of money in the stock market on president george w. bush's watch. and those same very rich republicans made an awful lot of money in the stock market on president obama's watch. but they won't be thanking president obama anytime soon. that's coming up in tonight's "rewrite."

if youthen this willbrids arbe a nice surprise. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max come. c-max go. c-max give a ride to everyone it knows. c max has more passenger volume than competitor prius v and we haven't even mentioned... c-max also gets better mpg. say hi to the super fuel efficient ford c-max hybrid. how did i know? well, i didn't really. see, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive... but when i started losing energy and became moody... that's when i had an honest conversation with my doctor. we discussed all the symptoms... then he gave me some blood tests. showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number -- not just me. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% (testosterone gel). the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy, increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites.

discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are or may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. so...what do men do when a number's too low? turn it up! [ male announcer ] in a clinical study, over 80% of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. talk to your doctor about all your symptoms. get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%.

[ man ] on in 5! [ female announcer ] it works as hard as you do... to outlast your day. [ man ] action! wow! [ female announcer ] secret outlast clear gel is better than the next leading invisible solid on white marks. secret outlast clear gel. in the spotlight tonight, guns, paranoia, and hatred. according to a new report by the southern poverty law center, the crazies are on the rise. we now have more groups who believe that the federal government is conspiring to take american's guns and destroy their liberties as it paves the world for a global one world government. last year, the southern poverty law center counted 1,360 of

these groups, an all-time high. only 149 existed when barack obama won the presidency in 2008. today, the southern poverty law center sent a letter to homeland security secretary janet napolitano and attorney general eric holder, warning that the gun control debate itself may lead to even more such groups. the furious reaction to the obama administration's gun control proposals is reminiscent of the anger that greeted the passage of the 1993 brady bill and the 1994 ban on assault weapons. now, in the wake of the mass murder of 26 children and adults at a connecticut school and the obama-led gun control efforts that followed, it seems likely that that growth will pick up speed once again. joining me now, the author of that new report, southern poverty law center's mark potok and msnbc's ari melber.

mark, it's quite striking how the number explosion occurred, starting in 2008, before we got into newtown, connecticut, or any talk of gun control at all. >> it sure is. i mean, the growth has just been astounding over the last four years. you know, 813% growth. we've really never seen anything like this in any of the groups that we count. and as you suggested in your intro, what happened after that count was completed, as gun control talk began in the wake of the slaughter in newtown, is that the whole movement, tease gro groups out there have gone from sort of red heat to white heat. so we are in a skrr scary moment. it is very much reminiscent, at least to me, of the months leading up to the oklahoma city bombing. >> and ari, the only thing that occurred in 2008 that you can link in our politics to this

growth is the election of president barack obama. >> right, i think the problem for a lot of the people who talk about common sense or reasonable gun control, when you look at this context of these patriot and hate groups and the election of obama, is that -- and this is difficult, i think, to say, but it has to be said -- that a lot of these groups aren't interested in self-defense weaponry. they actually see themselves, if you look at some of the literature and the text, they see their communities as actually having a buildup of the kind of weapons that would help them deal with any kind of uprising or clash with the government itself. and so they do want assault weaponry. they do want anything really big. they sometimes talk about the ar-15 as a quality weapon, because you can put a grenade launcher appendage on to it. that's the people, that's the face of the nra today. >> mark, this one world government thing, do these

people actually say this with a straight face? does anyone ever ask them if they really expect israel and saudi arabia and china to all agree to be part of the same one world government? >> well, no, i don't think any of them have tried to answer a question that specific and direct. i mean, look. it's probably worth saying that this idea of evil globalists goes way, way, way back to the league of nations and even before. so this is an idea that's been next to the radical right in the united states, at least, for a century or more. but, as you say, it's really very undefined. you know, somehow these people are going to come, they are going to force us to be socialist. you know, those of us who resist will be thrown into fema-constructed concentration camps, you know, and this is all some sort of plot to destroy the constitution. so, no, i don't think it's

terribly well thought out. at the same time, i think the fears are very real. i think one other thing played into the enormous expansion of these groups in the last four years, aside from obama's appearance on the political scene, and that, of course, is the economy, which began to collapse at the very same time as obama appeared running for president. so i think that added an element of real fear and anger and insecurity that made for a kind of perfect storm in terms of fostering the growth of these groups. now with the gun control talk, it's gotten even worse. >> okay. ari, the only way you can think these things is that you have to be profoundly ignorant of what's happening in the world and the way the world works and the way the united nations doesn't work, and, so -- and we started the show tonight with a demonstration of bill o'reilly's abject ignorance about what president obama has actually proposed by way of spending cuts. and there seems to be a straight line you can draw, from that

o'reilly ignorance, which is on the innocence side of these things, all the way over to this stuff, which leads to utter dangerous madness. >> it is dangerous. and while ignorance is a very old problem, i think the decline of certain institutions, including, quite frankly, the republican party itself, play a role, because there just isn't as much sanction for that kind of ignorance. and it's not just, of course, on these issues. many people have pointed out, including steve bennett of msnbc, that only 6% of the country is aware that under president obama, the deficit ratio is actually going down. if you don't know that, then you're going to have this whole debate in a vacuum. and when you talk about guns, the fact that this president, i think by any standard, has generally been very, very protective of broad second amendment rights. the things he's talking about have nothing to do whatsoever with taking people's guns away from them in their homes. i like to mention, i grew up in

a home with a gun. i'm not worried about that. i think background checks and these other proposals are common sense and work, if you're open to understanding how they work. when you have that blockage and you have a lot of institutional support for ignorance, because it's politically useful, then you get into these really bad feedback loops. >> yeah, this phenomenon of believing that a one world government is going to take over depends on sealing yourself off from information. and that's the only point i was making about bill o'reilly. he thinks these people are crazy too. i don't mean to in any way associate him with that. but he also has sealed himself off from information, as ezra klein showed, republican congressman have, about what president obama has proposed. and it seems to be this contagious phenomenon of sealing people -- people sealing themselves off from real, easily available information. mark potok of the southern poverty law center, thank you very much for the information you've delivered to us in this study and ari melber, thank you for joining us tonight also.

>> thanks, lawrence. >> thanks for having me. coming up, you will meet the one brave woman who is willing to run against chris christie in new jersey. the only democrat, the only one, who has stepped forward to challenge the governor. female a] waiting, waiting... feel like you're growing older... waiting to look younger? don't wait. [ female announcer ] get younger looking skin fast. with new olay regenerist micro-sculpting cream. the next generation with 2 new anti-aging ingredients. it penetrates rapidly. visible wrinkle results start day 1. and you'll see younger looking skin before you even finish one jar. ♪ new olay regenerist. the wait is over. otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air.

suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪ [ male announcer ] start with an all new award winning car. good. now find the most hard core driver in america. that guy, put him in it. what's this? [ male announcer ] tell him he's about to find out. you're about to find out. [ male announcer ] test it. highlight the european chassis, 6 speed manual, dual exhaust, wide stance, clean lines, have him floor it, spin it, punch it, drift it, put it through its paces, is he happy? oh ya, he's happy! [ male announcer ] and that's how you test your car for fun. easy.

chris christie finally has an opponent in his re-election campaign for governor of new jersey, the woman who wants to be the democratic nominee for governor will join me later. and next in the "rewrite," what wall street types refuse to admit about president obama. that's next. i'm your hot water heater. you hardly know i exist. that's too bad. 'cuz if my pressure relief valve gets stuck... [ booooooom! ] ...we hot water heaters can transform into rocket propelled wrecking balls. and if you got the wrong home insurance coverage, it's your bank account that might explode. so get allstate. [ dennis ] good hands. good home.

make sure you have the right home protection. talk to an allstate agent. ♪ bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? [ crows ] feby earning your degree fromore racapella university,re. you'll have the knowledge to advance your career while making a difference in the lives of patients.

let's get started at capella.edu. dow industrial is down 177. that is a sell-off. is it an obama sell-off? we'll discuss. with obama's victory, the takers have taken over. the makers are clearly in the minority. am i right? it's a sell-off the day after the election, with an obama second term, we're down 183 points, right at 13,062. >> it's hard, it's wicked hard, to pick the stupidest player in the world of wall street tv, but that guy, that guy at fox business network is certainly in the running. the funny thing is, there are more real facts reported on wall street tv shows than any other kind of news shows. but those real facts are all

numbers and there's a lot of them. and they are all temporary. some of them not even lasting a full second. they are the numbers you see at the bottom of the screens and the side of the screens, stock prices flashing by, where the dow is, at that second. where the s&p is, at that second. most of everything else that gets said on those shows is pure junk. and whenever the people on those shows are talking about anything that occurs outside of lower manhattan, especially anything that happens inside of washington, they are completely lost. they are virtually all republicans, and they are virtually all wrong, all the time, about politics and how politics intersects with wall street. they've always believed electing a democratic president would be bad for the stock market and electing a republican president

would be good for the stock market, and good for them, even though there is sbrult no evidence of that and plenty of evidence to the contrary. they believe this even after living through the clinton presidency, where the snacker and the economy soared. these are people who claim to be cold-blooded processors of business information, cold-blooded analysts of where the money is and where the money's going. but, in fact, their collective, relentless, republican bias gets in the way of their analysis all the time. >> talking about the debate and the results, i think we're seeing a reaction to treasuries. i mean, they're selling off today. people, perhaps, more comfortable with romney's proposed execution of managing this economy. >> this is the beginning of what will be an even bigger romney rally as the days unfold. >> from your mouth to the bull's

ears. >> now, i know i'm not smart enough to tell you why the market goes up and why the mark goes down. i have never once said that the market went up today because of "x" or the market went down today because of "y." but those guys on tv who tell you why the markets went up and down also don't know why the markets went up and down. and if they did, they wouldn't be living on those crumby little paychecks from wall street tv. they had be much, much richer people. today, just a few months after president obama's re-election, wall street found themselves reporting this. >> now,wear now, let's see, four points away from the dow, never, ever being higher, okay? we're very, very close to that. >> this is a great economy, this is a great sign. smaller investors, get involved. >> all right, you're looking live right now at the corner of

wall and broad. this is where the new york stock exchange is housed. and this is where the investors do the buying thing, maybe because washington is finally cutting, whatever? look at what happened to the dow today. it's at an all-new record. >> it was a record-breaking day on wall street with the blue chips hitting an all-time high. at the closing bell, the dow finished 126 points higher, at 14,254. >> and so, mitt romney is richer tonight, thanks to the soaring stock market. some would say that mitt romney is richer tonight thanks to president obama. but i'm not one of those people. i'm not going to give president obama credit for the stock market going up on his watch and i'm not going to blame him ton days when the stock market goes down. i have never given the president credit for that or given the president blame for the stock market going down, because as i've said, i don't know what makes the markets go up and what

makes the markets go down. and this guy doesn't either. >> dow industrials down 177. that is a sell-off. is it an obama sell-off? we'll discuss. with obama's victory, the takers have taken over. the makers are clearly in the minority. am i right? it's a sell-off the day after the election with an obama second term, we're down 183 points, right at 13,062. ♪ [ construction sounds ] ♪ [ watch ticking ] [ engine revs ] come in. ♪ got the coffee. that was fast. we're outta here. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪

when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ man ] on in 5! [ female announcer ] it works as hard as you do... to outlast your day. [ man ] action! wow! [ female announcer ] secret outlast clear gel is better than the next leading invisible solid on white marks. secret outlast clear gel.

now the results are clear. new jersey has turned around and is growing again. >> 71% of new jersey voters say chris christie deserves

re-election. that may have influenced newark mayor cory booker not running for governor and choosing to run for what will be an open senate seat instead. so what democrat will run against chris christie? joining me now in a "last word" exclusive interview, the only new jersey democrat with the courage to step forward and run against chris christie so far, new jersey state senator, barbara beno. it's her first national interview. thanks very much for joining me, senator. >> thanks for having me. >> so you look at the polls, chris christie with this big approval rating now, and you think, okay, this is my moment. this is when i need to run for governor against chris christie? >> actually, that's not why i'm running. why i'm running, people ask me all the time, they say, barbara, it takes courage to run and i really don't feel that way. i don't see how i couldn't run. new jersey, the state that we're in is just unacceptable. we have the highest unemployment in over three decades, it's stuck at 10%. we have, you know, our property

taxes are still the highest in the nation. they have -- the burden has increased 20% under this governor. you know, we have foreclosures that are the second highest in the nation. the middle class and the working poor are suffering. and this governor has turned his back on them. they are voiceless, and they need someone there to stand up for them. and you know, i feel their struggle, because i've lived it. my father was an immigrant from italy, came here when he was 3 years old. dropped out of high school, became a union butcher. my mom was an office worker and then a substitute teacher and we lived in a walkup, in a rented apartment, where my parents slept in the living room in a foldout bed so my sisters and i could use the bedroom. we didn't have a lot of money, but we had opportunity. when my father died, i was 19 and i was able to stay in montclair state because college was affordable then and i was able to get loans and pay them off because there were jobs back then to pay them off. my father died, as i said,